The Buddha Room

Recently I visited the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden in Leiden and stumbled across one of the best spots in all of Leiden which in my opinion everyone should visit at least once, The Buddha Room in the museum. This in my opinion is one of the most tranquil spots in Leiden and it is very very relaxing to spend some time in a meditative atmosphere inside this room.

The life like statues of Buddha in this room are five centuries old and were originally brought from Japan for the 1883 International Colonial Exposition in Amsterdam. The three central statues originate from the Tokugawa mausoleum of the Zojoji temple in Edo, present-day Tokyo. The Buddha statues originally was kept outside in the Garden (Rapenburg 67) but were moved inside the museum in the 1930’s.

One of the factors associated with the Buddha room for its prevailing tranquil atmosphere is the role played by natural light inside the room which is reflected upon the statues by means of slanted mirrors.